Long Boring Introduction and History
If you're not interested in this part, skip to the section "The Team."
The focus this generation seems to be on a very offensive style of play, with teams focused around weather sweepers and threats from the past such as Latios, Darkrai, and Deoxys. Not only did this generation contribute to this speed-based offense, there are many extremely bulky Pokemon who carry high attack stats and boosting moves, like Roobushin and Ulgamoth. Therefore, it seems more difficult to construct a stall team to keep up with the times.
In my first attempt, I tried to introduce the basic components of stall. The initial skeleton was Hippowdon (sand and SR)/Nattorei (spikes)/Doryuuzu (rapid spin)/Burungeru (spin blocker). However, Hippowdon is still 2HKO by some physical sweepers. After getting up SR and taking some damage from the opponent, it became almost useless as a physical wall. Its attack coverage also isn't good enough to threaten things like Randorosu or random Balloons.
Therefore I replaced Hippowdon with Tyranitar (sand), Gliscor (wall), and Swampert (SR). Also, as you may have guessed, Doryuuzu wasn't the greatest spinner. He could only get off one spin and is beaten by Skarmory and Dusclops. I was reluctant to replace him because in this initial stage of the team, about half the wins were based on Doryuuzu sweeps. Although he was certainly a valuable member of the team, I felt that a more focused defensive playstyle could lead to more consistent results. So I replaced him with Tentacruel.
I also decided through testing that spin blocking wasn't that important, as the fast fragile spinners of today's game die easily to attacks. Burungeru's overlapping coverage with Tentacruel meant he would be have to be dropped to make room for Hippowdon's three(!) replacements. Originally I believed recovery was important for stall, so I gave Tentacruel and Swampert Rest. However, after playtesting, I believe it is best to save the moveslots for recovery and play an aggressive type of stall, making lots of switches and some sacrifices based on team preview.
I also used other Pokemon to fill out the remaining slots that didn't have such a necessary role in stall. Mostly they were used for beating other defensive Pokemon trying to set up entry hazards. For historical interest, they are:
Dragonite (Inner Focus)
Max Def/HP
Roost
Heal Bell
Superpower
Dragon Tail
Notes: Dragon Tail doesn't work so well because it won't switch out guys behind a sub and misses too frequently. Inner Focus was great for beating Shaymin-S and especially Jirachi. It also become less profitable to use Heal Bell when Gliscor was doing the bulk of the walling work and using Fling early.
Dragonite (Multi-Scale)
Max Def/HP
Fire Blast
Ice Beam
Roost
Roar
Notes: Primarily to counter other defensive Pokemon like Skarmory, Forretress, and Nattorei. Also a great physical wall and phazer not even 3HKO by things like Doryuuzu and useful for absorbing Seed Flares.
Murkrow (Mischievous Heart)
@Evolution Stone
Perish Song
Roost
Toxic
Taunt
Notes: Designed for beating "last Pokemon Rankurusu" as well as Taunting annoying Skarmory, Forretress, and Nattorei. Not bulky enough, though, especially without Leftovers in sandstorm.
Vuljinna: similar to Murkrow.
The Team
The team is based around dealing with special and physical attacks separately. There is a "triangle defense" of Special Defensive Pokemon who compliment each other nicely with their typing and offensive ability. The bulk of the physical walling is done by the extremely powerful Gliscor, although his two supporters Swampert and Spiritomb are also capable in their own right. Also, I've gone for the bare minimum in terms of stall utility: no Perish Song, Wish, Heal Bell, etc. My philosophy is that the metagame must be walled first, then we can see which bells and whistles fit.
Special Defense:
Tyranitar @ Leftovers
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SDef / 4 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Stone Edge
- Roar
- Crunch
- Superpower
Notes: Usually I don't lead with him. I lead with whoever I determine best from the team preview, usually Swampert or Tentacruel, sometimes Tyranitar or Nattorei. Tyranitar's most important job is to provide the Sand Stream. He also helps complete the triangle of special walls, helping kill things they have trouble with such as offensive Zapdos. Of course Tyranitar is extremely bulky and can handle some surprising situations. I switch him in on Shaymin-S and Ulgamoth all the time. Even +1 LO Ulgamoth (barely) doesn't kill with Bug Buzz. Otherwise, such Pokemon give me a lot of trouble. He also serves as my phazer for the special side.
Nattorei @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SDef / 4 Spd
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Power Whip
- Leech Seed
- Spikes
- Protect
Notes: An amazing commonly-used support Pokemon renowned for its ability to deal with Rain Dance. I use him to deal with Lati@s and all rain sweepers except Ludicolo. He's vulnerable to Magnezone without Shed Shell, but you must anticipate it from the team preview.
Tentacruel @ Leftovers
Trait: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SDef / 4 Spd
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Toxic Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Boil Over
- Sludge Bomb
Notes: The reason I use Sludge Bomb over Ice Beam is Ludicolo. He is very
necessary for beating an otherwise threatening special Birijion since he takes away Giga Drain's healing. He's also decent for beating Nattorei, by spinning away Natt's spikes and setting up alongside. Finally, he's great for countering random t-spikes, which were difficult to play against when I used Burungeru.
When Dusclops comes out against him, I just set up Toxic Spikes (if I see there is no absorber on the other team). If Burungeru comes, I just switch to Nattorei.
Physical Defense:
Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Acrobat
- Fling
- Substitute
- Protect
Notes: Basically, its typing makes it an extremely versatile physical wall, easily beating things like Roobushin, Breloom, Scizor, Doryuuzu, etc. Also can be used in a Walrein-like capacity with Sub/Protect/Poison Heal and the sandstorm raging in the background. As far as I know, this is pretty standard.
Swampert @ Leftovers
Trait: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Ice Beam
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Roar
Notes: His main purpose is to lay Stealth Rocks. He's great against Tyranitar and Hippowdon so I often use him as a lead against those guys. He also does well against potentially mixed Dragons by OHKOing them with Ice Beam, while usually surviving one hit, although if I suspect Draco Meteor I have to switch to Nattorei and then switch back. Earthquake is needed to provide offensive coverage alongside Acrobat, sadly Gliscor's only attack.
Spiritomb @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Taunt
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Psychic
Notes: A very specialized Pokemon. He outspeeds and Taunts opposing Nattorei, inflicting big damage with HP fire. He's also a pretty surefire counter against Rankurusu, who really eats stall. Psychic is for dealing with popular fighting types like Roobushin and Toxicroak, although can be replaced with other things like Will-o-wisp (which I hate) or PainSplit, Rest, CM, Toxic, etc. He can be useful for spin blocking in a pinch, though I wouldn't really use him in that capacity too much unless the other team doesn't have Rankurusu.
Final Comments
I'm not submitting the team as a final, polished product. I haven't done careful calculations on optimal EV spreads, so the ones above aren't perfect. I want it to be more of a template or beginning for a new generation of stall, and definitely welcome true RMT responses, criticisms, and possibilities for improvement.
I'd like to leave a summary of the general information here:
If you're not interested in this part, skip to the section "The Team."
The focus this generation seems to be on a very offensive style of play, with teams focused around weather sweepers and threats from the past such as Latios, Darkrai, and Deoxys. Not only did this generation contribute to this speed-based offense, there are many extremely bulky Pokemon who carry high attack stats and boosting moves, like Roobushin and Ulgamoth. Therefore, it seems more difficult to construct a stall team to keep up with the times.
In my first attempt, I tried to introduce the basic components of stall. The initial skeleton was Hippowdon (sand and SR)/Nattorei (spikes)/Doryuuzu (rapid spin)/Burungeru (spin blocker). However, Hippowdon is still 2HKO by some physical sweepers. After getting up SR and taking some damage from the opponent, it became almost useless as a physical wall. Its attack coverage also isn't good enough to threaten things like Randorosu or random Balloons.
Therefore I replaced Hippowdon with Tyranitar (sand), Gliscor (wall), and Swampert (SR). Also, as you may have guessed, Doryuuzu wasn't the greatest spinner. He could only get off one spin and is beaten by Skarmory and Dusclops. I was reluctant to replace him because in this initial stage of the team, about half the wins were based on Doryuuzu sweeps. Although he was certainly a valuable member of the team, I felt that a more focused defensive playstyle could lead to more consistent results. So I replaced him with Tentacruel.
I also decided through testing that spin blocking wasn't that important, as the fast fragile spinners of today's game die easily to attacks. Burungeru's overlapping coverage with Tentacruel meant he would be have to be dropped to make room for Hippowdon's three(!) replacements. Originally I believed recovery was important for stall, so I gave Tentacruel and Swampert Rest. However, after playtesting, I believe it is best to save the moveslots for recovery and play an aggressive type of stall, making lots of switches and some sacrifices based on team preview.
I also used other Pokemon to fill out the remaining slots that didn't have such a necessary role in stall. Mostly they were used for beating other defensive Pokemon trying to set up entry hazards. For historical interest, they are:
Dragonite (Inner Focus)
Max Def/HP
Roost
Heal Bell
Superpower
Dragon Tail
Notes: Dragon Tail doesn't work so well because it won't switch out guys behind a sub and misses too frequently. Inner Focus was great for beating Shaymin-S and especially Jirachi. It also become less profitable to use Heal Bell when Gliscor was doing the bulk of the walling work and using Fling early.
Dragonite (Multi-Scale)
Max Def/HP
Fire Blast
Ice Beam
Roost
Roar
Notes: Primarily to counter other defensive Pokemon like Skarmory, Forretress, and Nattorei. Also a great physical wall and phazer not even 3HKO by things like Doryuuzu and useful for absorbing Seed Flares.
Murkrow (Mischievous Heart)
@Evolution Stone
Perish Song
Roost
Toxic
Taunt
Notes: Designed for beating "last Pokemon Rankurusu" as well as Taunting annoying Skarmory, Forretress, and Nattorei. Not bulky enough, though, especially without Leftovers in sandstorm.
Vuljinna: similar to Murkrow.
The Team
The team is based around dealing with special and physical attacks separately. There is a "triangle defense" of Special Defensive Pokemon who compliment each other nicely with their typing and offensive ability. The bulk of the physical walling is done by the extremely powerful Gliscor, although his two supporters Swampert and Spiritomb are also capable in their own right. Also, I've gone for the bare minimum in terms of stall utility: no Perish Song, Wish, Heal Bell, etc. My philosophy is that the metagame must be walled first, then we can see which bells and whistles fit.
Special Defense:
Tyranitar @ Leftovers
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SDef / 4 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Stone Edge
- Roar
- Crunch
- Superpower
Notes: Usually I don't lead with him. I lead with whoever I determine best from the team preview, usually Swampert or Tentacruel, sometimes Tyranitar or Nattorei. Tyranitar's most important job is to provide the Sand Stream. He also helps complete the triangle of special walls, helping kill things they have trouble with such as offensive Zapdos. Of course Tyranitar is extremely bulky and can handle some surprising situations. I switch him in on Shaymin-S and Ulgamoth all the time. Even +1 LO Ulgamoth (barely) doesn't kill with Bug Buzz. Otherwise, such Pokemon give me a lot of trouble. He also serves as my phazer for the special side.
Nattorei @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SDef / 4 Spd
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Power Whip
- Leech Seed
- Spikes
- Protect
Notes: An amazing commonly-used support Pokemon renowned for its ability to deal with Rain Dance. I use him to deal with Lati@s and all rain sweepers except Ludicolo. He's vulnerable to Magnezone without Shed Shell, but you must anticipate it from the team preview.
Tentacruel @ Leftovers
Trait: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SDef / 4 Spd
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Toxic Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Boil Over
- Sludge Bomb
Notes: The reason I use Sludge Bomb over Ice Beam is Ludicolo. He is very
necessary for beating an otherwise threatening special Birijion since he takes away Giga Drain's healing. He's also decent for beating Nattorei, by spinning away Natt's spikes and setting up alongside. Finally, he's great for countering random t-spikes, which were difficult to play against when I used Burungeru.
When Dusclops comes out against him, I just set up Toxic Spikes (if I see there is no absorber on the other team). If Burungeru comes, I just switch to Nattorei.
Physical Defense:
Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Trait: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Acrobat
- Fling
- Substitute
- Protect
Notes: Basically, its typing makes it an extremely versatile physical wall, easily beating things like Roobushin, Breloom, Scizor, Doryuuzu, etc. Also can be used in a Walrein-like capacity with Sub/Protect/Poison Heal and the sandstorm raging in the background. As far as I know, this is pretty standard.
Swampert @ Leftovers
Trait: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Ice Beam
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Roar
Notes: His main purpose is to lay Stealth Rocks. He's great against Tyranitar and Hippowdon so I often use him as a lead against those guys. He also does well against potentially mixed Dragons by OHKOing them with Ice Beam, while usually surviving one hit, although if I suspect Draco Meteor I have to switch to Nattorei and then switch back. Earthquake is needed to provide offensive coverage alongside Acrobat, sadly Gliscor's only attack.
Spiritomb @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Taunt
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Psychic
Notes: A very specialized Pokemon. He outspeeds and Taunts opposing Nattorei, inflicting big damage with HP fire. He's also a pretty surefire counter against Rankurusu, who really eats stall. Psychic is for dealing with popular fighting types like Roobushin and Toxicroak, although can be replaced with other things like Will-o-wisp (which I hate) or PainSplit, Rest, CM, Toxic, etc. He can be useful for spin blocking in a pinch, though I wouldn't really use him in that capacity too much unless the other team doesn't have Rankurusu.
Final Comments
I'm not submitting the team as a final, polished product. I haven't done careful calculations on optimal EV spreads, so the ones above aren't perfect. I want it to be more of a template or beginning for a new generation of stall, and definitely welcome true RMT responses, criticisms, and possibilities for improvement.
I'd like to leave a summary of the general information here:
- Deal with special and physical threats separately when teambuilding.
- Use team preview to scout. It is especially important to identify opposing Espeon/Xatu, Magnezone, and Rankurusu. Use your findings to designate a sacrifice bait or status bitch to take Sleep Powder/WoW/Toxic, probably Swampert or Spiritomb.
- Originally I believed recovery was important for stall...after playtesting, I believe it is best to save the moveslots and play an aggressive type of stall, making lots of switches and some sacrifices based on team preview. The only recovery needed is Protect/Leftovers or Leech Seed.
- Spin blocking sucks. If you get spun on, kill their spinner or just keep setting up on it. Nattorei beats most frail spinners, Spiritomb can get surprise KO on Forry.
